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Abdulmutallab wants trial moved, statements suppressed

Terror suspect Umar Abdulmutallab is asking that his trial for allegely attempting to bomb a Northwest Airlines flight be moved outside Michigan and seeking to prevent prosecutors from using statements he made while "heavily sedated," according to new court filings.

In a motion filed Friday (posted here), Abdulmutallab and a lawyer who is assisting him argue that publicity about the alleged bombing attempt will make it "unlikely" to find a fair jury in Michigan for his trial, set to begin in October.

"Media coverage in this matter has assisted in creating an environment of hostility toward Defendant Abdulmutallab in the State of Michigan," the motion says. "Within the State of Michigan, there exist preconceived notions of guilt and an overall hostility towards the Defendant ... Many of the passengers on the plane in which this alleged incident occurred either reside in the State of Michigan, or have ties to this state."

"The only way to ensure that Defendant Abdulmutallab receives a fair and impartial jury is to change the venue," the motion adds.

Abdulmutallab is planning to represent himself at trial, but attorney Anthony Chambers has been assigned to advise the suspect, who's charged with attempting to detonate a weapon of mass destruction, attempted murder and other crimes in connection with the Dec. 25, 2009, incident about a Northwest flight from Amsterdam to Detroit. No one was hurt in the attempt because the bomb failed to detonate.

In a separate motion filed Friday (posted here), Abdulmutallab and Chambers seek to prevent the government from using statements made by the Nigerian native while he was undergoing medical treatment for burns incurred in the alleged bombing attempt. The motion says Abdulmutallab was drugged with the painkiller Fentanyl during one interview and therefore his statements were involuntary. The filing also says investigators questioned Abdulmutallab over the objections of medical personnel.

"Hospital staff told federal agents that the Defendant was in no position to conduct a legal interview because he had just been administered 300 mg of fentanyl," the motion says. "Hospital staff were direct and clear when advising federal agents that the Defendant would not be able to conduct a legal interview for four to six hours ... Federal agents bypassed the hospital staff's advice and interviewed the Defendant anyways."

Abdulmutallab's filing also says the statements should be excluded from any trial because he was not read his Miranda rights during the interview in question.